1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
On Sunday, the first day of the week, the women went to the tomb with the spices they had prepared before the Sabbath. They clearly expected to find Jesus lying dead in the tomb. Instead, they found the stone rolled away from the tomb and Jesus’ body was missing and they didn’t understand why. Then two angels appeared to them in dazzling clothing and they were afraid. The angels asked them why they were looking for the living [One] among the dead. He was not there, He had risen. They reminded the women of how Jesus had told them all the way back in Galilee that he would need to be crucified and then on the third day, rise again. Even though Jesus died on Friday afternoon and rose early Sunday morning, it is still quite acceptable to say He rose on the third day as part of three calendar days are used in the counting. The women remembered Jesus’ words and then returned to tell what had happened to the eleven (Judas was no longer with them) and the rest of Jesus’ followers. It is interesting to note that women were the eyewitnesses to these things. If someone of that culture were to fabricate the story of Jesus’ resurrection, they would not have used women because their testimony was not considered credible. Even Peter didn’t believe them and ran to the tomb to see for himself.
How incredible that we serve a risen Saviour!
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
The Vision of Obadiah: Obadiah 1